Jennifer's Recovery Log

[narouz]

I also told her I dropped the thyroid because I felt like my cholesterol was far too low to be taking it. She agreed that was the right choice. I then asked her how long she thought I'd need to be on the Mino and she said because I had been dealing with the infection for so long, it'll be months before I'm off it.

Jennifer-
I'm sorry if I ask questions already clearly addressed upthread.
But,
what was your reasoning in dropping the thyroid supp?
How much were you taking and what brand/dosage?
I'll be curious to see your TSH--what has it been in the past?

Have you ever had somebody do the Achilles Reflex Test on you?

With your doctor and the minocycline:
what does she see as the nature of the infection?
Is it a gut infection in her view?
Caused by the same critter specified in your Genova test?

If you are going to have thyroid tests done,
you might search around the forum for thyroid-related tests Peat likes to use.
(I've been searching likewise as I plan to have some tests;
Mittir, I believe, sortuv rounded those up in some of his posts in the past.)

Great to hear the positive notes!

 

[Jennifer]

AWESOME AWESOME and more AWESOME! You have a doc working with you, getting proper tests and making all the appropriate changes as you move through your journey...so AWESOME!

Btw, Jennifer... I know you were a tad concerned about the estrogen content in your chocolate fest, I wouldn't be too worried. Your libido is back, your menstruating (regularly hopefully), you have Progest-E and not too much body fat so it's ALL GOOD!!! Your next set of labs that you plan on getting sound like the perfect tests to check...

Thanks, BP! I'm just sorry for what you've been going through. I completely missed when you logged about it.

You make excellent points! I won't worry about the estrogen in the cocoa and just drink up. :)

 

[Jennifer]

I also told her I dropped the thyroid because I felt like my cholesterol was far too low to be taking it. She agreed that was the right choice. I then asked her how long she thought I'd need to be on the Mino and she said because I had been dealing with the infection for so long, it'll be months before I'm off it.

Jennifer-
I'm sorry if I ask questions already clearly addressed upthread.
But,
what was your reasoning in dropping the thyroid supp?
How much were you taking and what brand/dosage?
I'll be curious to see your TSH--what has it been in the past?

No need to be sorry! I don't mind answering. :)

My cholesterol was 147 on my latest blood test in December so that's far too low to be on thyroid supplementation. My TSH was .005 and I was taking 2 1/2 grains of WP Thyroid. Ray said that intestinal inflammation can cause low cholesterol so that may be a cause. At my worst and just coming off of two years on the low-fat fruitarian diet, my cholesterol was at 115. I just read this morning where Ray said cholesterol below 160 can indicate adrenal failure. Hmm...

Have you ever had somebody do the Achilles Reflex Test on you?

No, I haven't. I should ask my doctor about that.

With your doctor and the minocycline:
what does she see as the nature of the infection?
Is it a gut infection in her view?
Caused by the same critter specified in your Genova test?

She never specified if the infection was localized in the gut, only that I have a pretty nasty infection caused by the bacteria the Genova test found.

If you are going to have thyroid tests done,
you might search around the forum for thyroid-related tests Peat likes to use.
(I've been searching likewise as I plan to have some tests;
Mittir, I believe, sortuv rounded those up in some of his posts in the past.)

Great to hear the positive notes!

Thanks, narouz! :)

And thank you for the suggestion. My last blood test, I went by the tests Danny Roddy says Ray suggests, but when I spoke with Ray, he apparently doesn't think whole blood serotonin is accurate and that was one on Danny's list so I'm going to have to do some looking around the forum.

 

[lindsay]

So I'm trying to read through this whole new thread after not spending any time on here as of late, but I think it's easier for me to just ask you Jennifer - how the heck are you feeling these days? Have you been able to get your weight back up at all? Sounds like you are enjoying lots of ice-cream, so that's good :) And you stopped thyroid? I've had to change my dose entirely and let myself deal with feeling cold, etc. But I feel better, so that's good :)

Anyhow, give me a rundown when you get a chance please :) Either here or via private message! I will try to read through more of this tomorrow.

 

[Jennifer]

So I'm trying to read through this whole new thread after not spending any time on here as of late, but I think it's easier for me to just ask you Jennifer - how the heck are you feeling these days? Have you been able to get your weight back up at all? Sounds like you are enjoying lots of ice-cream, so that's good :) And you stopped thyroid? I've had to change my dose entirely and let myself deal with feeling cold, etc. But I feel better, so that's good :)

Anyhow, give me a rundown when you get a chance please :) Either here or via private message! I will try to read through more of this tomorrow.

I was just about to post my update. :)

Bless your heart for attempting to read through all my rambling logs. I'll spare you from having to do that. LOL

I've stopped the thyroid for the time being because my cholesterol is way too low to be on it and that was the cause of the depression. I'm working at trying to bring it up with fructose and reducing intestinal inflammation. I wrote to Ray and he said inflammation can cause low cholesterol. My mood since cutting out the thyroid has been great. I'm back to my old self, but I've been dealing with weekly headaches which are most likely due to the Minocycline dropping my sugars and now not having thyroid. My skin is super soft again, like it was when I was drinking all that raw milk and the brain fog and rash are a thing of the past. :) I'm hoping more daylight will help with my thyroid, but I'm okay if I have to go back on it just as long as I can keep my cholesterol up.

I'm glad to hear you're feeling better on the new dose. Hopefully with the weather warming up, your thyroid will kick in more and you'll start to warm up. The trade off is rough, I know. I too have felt a bit colder since dropping the NDT, but the improvement in my mood is so worth it. I now have the energy to dance more and this warms me up. LOL

Thank you for checking in with me to see how I'm doing, Lindsay. I appreciate you doing that! :)

By the way, I'm loving your new pic! I have a soft spot for black and white photos.

 

[Jennifer]

So I had another beast of a headache today. I went to bed last night with a dull ache so I took progest-e and figured it would resolve by morning. I woke and it was a full blown, sick to my stomach headache. I took some aspirin, went through my emails while having breakfast and hoped some food would help. I think what's happening is the Minocycline is lowering my blood sugars and since stopping the NDT, I've had dull headaches most days and I'm peeing clear again which tells me my sugars keep crashing.

Anyhow, by around 11am I was vomiting profusely and ready to pass out. I tried lying down hoping to sleep it off, but no luck. I really needed to get something in me to get my sugars up and the only thing that didn't turn my stomach at the thought of having it was ice cream. I didn't have any here at home so I had to go pick some up. Note to self, always have a carton of ice cream in the house just in case. So after getting home and having some, I went and slept on a nice hot heating pad and woke to find it was a little after 5pm and the headache was gone and I only had a touch of nausea. YAY!

I was still getting some random hives and maple syrup was the last thing in my diet that was potentially allergenic so I dropped it to see if it was the cause. Sure enough, I haven't had one outbreak since and I've even been drinking 2 liters of milk a day. I'm happy milk is treating me well because not only do I love it and I get a lot of nutrition from it, Ray has said that "the protein in milk, casein especially, is an anti-stress type of protein." And when he talks about longevity diets, he always references dairy. Given I've put all my hopes into my grandmother beating Jeanne Calment's record and she doesn't seem to be committed to the cause, she keeps saying she'll probably die tomorrow, it looks like I'll have to be the one to do it. I'm shooting for 450. Haidut just posted about the oldest known living animal on earth, a 405 year old clam. It was a tough battle, but I managed to take out a dancing turnip so I can take this clam. And if you were on the fence as to whether or not I have a mental illness, clearly I do. But it's okay! I'm not so crazy that I don't realize I'm crazy. :P

Anyhow, my mood is great, the night sweats are a thing of the past, but I'm back to dreaming very vividly again. Sounds nice, but I spent all of last night waiting on an order of ribs, fried chicken wings and steak for a friend, while trying to convince the clerk behind the counter, Carrot Top the comedian, that I paid for the order, but he never gave it to me. My last vivid dream involved Blake Shelton and taste testing his new line of granola bars. Why do random men keep showing up in my dreams and why on earth do they always involve food? I always wake by 4am so I'm probably hungry, but ribs and granola bars served by a country singer and a comedian? I guess it's a heck of a lot better than those dreams where I'm walking the halls of school wearing nothing but an embarrassed grin and non-freshly shaven legs. Hey, what can I say, sometimes I skip a few days in the winter. No worries! I sleep with a dog. He doesn't care about my little prickly legs. Hehe!

For tonight's song, I was so tempted to use "Can't Touch This" in honor of my legs , but I'll go with a song I've danced to everyday since coming across it last Monday. I find the beat addicting...

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=P8mNfNQOm0A

 

[tara]

Hi Jennifer,
There was a post in the last week or too with a reference to to some relationahip beteen TSH and cholesterol. Sorry I didn't grab it and link you to it when i saw it. But reading about your very low TSH and cholesterol, I wonder if it's connected directly. I wonder if there is a small dose level of thryoid that wouldn't suppress your TSH so far, but would still give you a little boost. It seems that quite tiny amounts are enough for some people.

I occasionally dream of preparing or waiting for food - I take it as a sign of undereating - not happened much lately.

I'm glad you lost the fuzzy head, but sorry it's been getting so sore on you.

 

[narouz]

Hi Jennifer,
There was a post in the last week or too with a reference to to some relationahip beteen TSH and cholesterol. Sorry I didn't grab it and link you to it when i saw it. But reading about your very low TSH and cholesterol, I wonder if it's connected directly. I wonder if there is a small dose level of thryoid that wouldn't suppress your TSH so far, but would still give you a little boost. It seems that quite tiny amounts are enough for some people.

I occasionally dream of preparing or waiting for food - I take it as a sign of undereating - not happened much lately.

I'm glad you lost the fuzzy head, but sorry it's been getting so sore on you.

(Again, apologies if I'm noting something already covered earlier...)
With the cholesterol and thyroid supps:
as I understand it,
it is T4 that suppresses TSH.
And your TSH was very low,
which is fine
but may be a clue.
Maybe you could try doing as I think Peat does (or did last time I heard):
nibble on tiny amounts of T3 every couple of hours or so.

 

[lindsay]

So I'm trying to read through this whole new thread after not spending any time on here as of late, but I think it's easier for me to just ask you Jennifer - how the heck are you feeling these days? Have you been able to get your weight back up at all? Sounds like you are enjoying lots of ice-cream, so that's good :) And you stopped thyroid? I've had to change my dose entirely and let myself deal with feeling cold, etc. But I feel better, so that's good :)

Anyhow, give me a rundown when you get a chance please :) Either here or via private message! I will try to read through more of this tomorrow.

I was just about to post my update. :)

Bless your heart for attempting to read through all my rambling logs. I'll spare you from having to do that. LOL

I've stopped the thyroid for the time being because my cholesterol is way too low to be on it and that was the cause of the depression. I'm working at trying to bring it up with fructose and reducing intestinal inflammation. I wrote to Ray and he said inflammation can cause low cholesterol. My mood since cutting out the thyroid has been great. I'm back to my old self, but I've been dealing with weekly headaches which are most likely due to the Minocycline dropping my sugars and now not having thyroid. My skin is super soft again, like it was when I was drinking all that raw milk and the brain fog and rash are a thing of the past. :) I'm hoping more daylight will help with my thyroid, but I'm okay if I have to go back on it just as long as I can keep my cholesterol up.

I'm glad to hear you're feeling better on the new dose. Hopefully with the weather warming up, your thyroid will kick in more and you'll start to warm up. The trade off is rough, I know. I too have felt a bit colder since dropping the NDT, but the improvement in my mood is so worth it. I now have the energy to dance more and this warms me up. LOL

Thank you for checking in with me to see how I'm doing, Lindsay. I appreciate you doing that! :)

By the way, I'm loving your new pic! I have a soft spot for black and white photos.

Glad to hear you are feeling better these days :) That is good news!! I think that once you get the infection fully taken care of, that will be a good thing. I'm finally finding that less T4 and more T3 helps with my digestive issues. They have been ten times better since I adjusted my dose, which I'm happy about because my doctors are less likely to care about me taking a small amount of cytomel, since they know what it is :)

Also, a strange thing I've noticed is that I've been feeling really good since I hurt my knee - I know it sounds strange, but it has healed much quicker than I anticipated and I've been using DMSO on it daily. I keep wondering if DMSO has some sort of systemic anti-inflammatory properties and if so, is it safe long term? It stings a little on the skin, but there are various forms of the stuff. Really keeps the fluids out of injured areas.

Anyhow, let's both hope for spring and better moods in general!! That's so interesting about NDT affecting your moods, but I guess low cholesterol would definitely make them "meh" wouldn't it? I'm sorry to hear about the headaches - that's really rough. I get sinus headaches from time to time and they are terrible. I've been taken frequent advil lately because of my knee, so I think that's kept the sinus headaches away, but I need to stop the advil soon. Hope you are able to get that regulated! Has progesterone helped at all? I never find that it does with headaches, but I'm guessing the effect is cumulative.

And thank you about my photo :) It was a fun one. I love B&W too, but sometimes I need a little color :)

 

[Jennifer]

Hi Jennifer,
There was a post in the last week or too with a reference to to some relationahip beteen TSH and cholesterol. Sorry I didn't grab it and link you to it when i saw it. But reading about your very low TSH and cholesterol, I wonder if it's connected directly. I wonder if there is a small dose level of thryoid that wouldn't suppress your TSH so far, but would still give you a little boost. It seems that quite tiny amounts are enough for some people.

I occasionally dream of preparing or waiting for food - I take it as a sign of undereating - not happened much lately.

I'm glad you lost the fuzzy head, but sorry it's been getting so sore on you.

Oh that's okay, tara! No worries! I knew I probably shouldn't have been on the NDT or at least, not at that high a dose and I even asked my doctor if I should get off it or lower it and she said no.

I think you're right about smaller amounts being more appropriate for me, but I'm starting to think the headaches I've been having are due to eating less lately. I got tired of having the ice cream and I was able to get in well over 3000 calories because of it, but my appetite isn't so great again so I have to make a conscious effort to eat more. Once I woke from my nap yesterday after having a quart of ice cream, I no longer had the headache and my urine was finally yellow again after being clear all week.

 

[Jennifer]

Hi Jennifer,
There was a post in the last week or too with a reference to to some relationahip beteen TSH and cholesterol. Sorry I didn't grab it and link you to it when i saw it. But reading about your very low TSH and cholesterol, I wonder if it's connected directly. I wonder if there is a small dose level of thryoid that wouldn't suppress your TSH so far, but would still give you a little boost. It seems that quite tiny amounts are enough for some people.

I occasionally dream of preparing or waiting for food - I take it as a sign of undereating - not happened much lately.

I'm glad you lost the fuzzy head, but sorry it's been getting so sore on you.

(Again, apologies if I'm noting something already covered earlier...)
With the cholesterol and thyroid supps:
as I understand it,
it is T4 that suppresses TSH.
And your TSH was very low,
which is fine
but may be a clue.
Maybe you could try doing as I think Peat does (or did last time I heard):
nibble on tiny amounts of T3 every couple of hours or so.

Thanks for this information, narouz. :)

Yes, it seems TSH goes down with T4. I think I figured out the source of my headaches so I'm going to see if I can avoid thyroid supplements for now. I need to be more consistent with getting plenty of calories in and hopefully between that and the warmer weather coming, I'll be able to avoid the supplement. I wouldn't mind it so much, but my doctor isn't really ontop of keeping track of my numbers and even when I do have my levels, she doesn't seem to know what to do with them. I don't like having to doctor myself when it comes to drugs. I may read a lot, but I'm certainly no doctor.

 

[Jennifer]

Glad to hear you are feeling better these days :) That is good news!! I think that once you get the infection fully taken care of, that will be a good thing. I'm finally finding that less T4 and more T3 helps with my digestive issues. They have been ten times better since I adjusted my dose, which I'm happy about because my doctors are less likely to care about me taking a small amount of cytomel, since they know what it is :)

Also, a strange thing I've noticed is that I've been feeling really good since I hurt my knee - I know it sounds strange, but it has healed much quicker than I anticipated and I've been using DMSO on it daily. I keep wondering if DMSO has some sort of systemic anti-inflammatory properties and if so, is it safe long term? It stings a little on the skin, but there are various forms of the stuff. Really keeps the fluids out of injured areas.

Anyhow, let's both hope for spring and better moods in general!! That's so interesting about NDT affecting your moods, but I guess low cholesterol would definitely make them "meh" wouldn't it? I'm sorry to hear about the headaches - that's really rough. I get sinus headaches from time to time and they are terrible. I've been taken frequent advil lately because of my knee, so I think that's kept the sinus headaches away, but I need to stop the advil soon. Hope you are able to get that regulated! Has progesterone helped at all? I never find that it does with headaches, but I'm guessing the effect is cumulative.

And thank you about my photo :) It was a fun one. I love B&W too, but sometimes I need a little color :)

Thanks, Lindsay! Yeah, it feels really good to feel like me again. I've been hoping that by clearing the infection, the rest of my health will improve. I remember over a year ago, talking with my doctor about having an infection and asking her if that can affect my thyroid and my other hormones and she said absolutely so I'm hoping this is the case.

I'm glad you've figured out a good thyroid dose for yourself. That's great! I know how much of a nightmare your digestion has been for you so I'm so happy to hear you're noticing improvements. My doctor talked about possibly putting me on Cynomel when I see her in 4 weeks, saying some women do better on T4 only. I didn't say anything, but I won't be doing T4 only.

That's interesting about the DMSO. I'm almost positive VoS has used it in the past or still currently does. I'll ask him and see if he knows of its safety long term and I'll let you know. And I'm glad your knee is getting better. YAY for that!

I'm sure you and I will start seeing an improvement in our health overall as the weather starts to warm up. It was a rough winter this year. We really got slammed with the bitter cold and snow, didn't we? And thanks, Lindsay. I figured out that my lost appetite is most likely the source of my headaches. I was able to get in well over 3000 calories when I was eating a lot of ice cream, but I got sick of having it and I've probably only been getting around 2300 cals. as of late. I notice I can have extreme hunger and then none at all.

And I agree! I love me some B&W, but I need color too! Could you imagine if Dorothy had opened that farmhouse door and we were greeted with a black and white Oz? No black and white rainbows for me. :)

 

[tara]

My understanding from bits and pieces of web sufing is that DMSO makes it easier for all sorts of things to move around in the body. Sometimes this is great for healing. Sometimes it's great for reducing the amount of a drug needed to have a desired effect, while lowering the downsides. There are circumstances where it's not great - eg it's extra important to avoid any toxic substances while using it, including on the skin. I would consider it reasonable to use for recovering an injury, while being careful about exposures to negative substances. I'm not sure about safety long term. It's closely related chemically and in effects to MSM.

 

[Jennifer]

My understanding from bits and pieces of web sufing is that DMSO makes it easier for all sorts of things to move around in the body. Sometimes this is great for healing. Sometimes it's great for reducing the amount of a drug needed to have a desired effect, while lowering the downsides. There are circumstances where it's not great - eg it's extra important to avoid any toxic substances while using it, including on the skin. I would consider it reasonable to use for recovering an injury, while being careful about exposures to negative substances. I'm not sure about safety long term. It's closely related chemically and in effects to MSM.

Thank you for the explanation, tara.

I was just looking at the uses for DMSO and the first thing I thought of was my grandmother. She's been having a lot pain in her right shoulder and she can't remember if she did something to it or if it's possibly arthritis. She refuses to go to the doctor to get it checked out and has opted to put icy hot on it instead. I'm wondering if DMSO would be good for her to try. My only concern is when you say "there are circumstances where it's not great - eg it's extra important to avoid any toxic substances while using it." Exactly what kind of toxic substances? Like foods, beauty products and/or prescription meds?

 

[tara]

I was just looking at the uses for DMSO and the first thing I thought of was my grandmother. She's been having a lot pain in her right shoulder and she can't remember if she did something to it or if it's possibly arthritis. She refuses to go to the doctor to get it checked out and has opted to put icy hot on it instead. I'm wondering if DMSO would be good for her to try. My only concern is when you say "there are circumstances where it's not great - eg it's extra important to avoid any toxic substances while using it." Exactly what kind of toxic substances? Like foods, beauty products and/or prescription meds?

I'm afraid I don't really know, but my impression was yes, cosmetics with dodgy ingredients - ie anything you wouldn't want to eat, because it will get through the skin more easily. Not sure if that only applies in or near the area of topical applcation, or systemically beyond that. Also, it may affect some medicines, possibly by making them more effective - ie less needed because the delivery into target tissues can be easier. But i wouldn't have a clue how to work out the details to keep it safe if there are important medications involved. It might be really helpful with only minor downsides, but I wouldn't be sure.

I'm getting physio help for a shoulder now, including ultrasound, massage of trigger points, some manipulations and some exercises to do at home. Nothing invasive, and I'm sure it's helping. So I've been looking at pictures and models and learning about some of the muscles and tendons and how they all connect with the bones, and the spaces in between. They are mechanically amazing structures, with lots of things needing to work together to allow such a wide range of motion. Not to say there couldn't be arthritis, but there are lots of other possibilities too, some of them fixable. I hope she finds something that helps.

 

[thebigpeatowski]

I'm getting physio help for a shoulder now, including ultrasound, massage of trigger points, some manipulations and some exercises to do at home. Nothing invasive, and I'm sure it's helping. So I've been looking at pictures and models and learning about some of the muscles and tendons and how they all connect with the bones, and the spaces in between. They are mechanically amazing structures, with lots of things needing to work together to allow such a wide range of motion. Not to say there couldn't be arthritis, but there are lots of other possibilities too, some of them fixable. I hope she finds something that helps.

You might look into Wobenzym N, 3 pills twice a day on an empty stomach, it's one thing you could add to your regimen. :2cents

 

[Jennifer]

Hmm...yeah, cosmetics with dodgy ingredients could be an issue. My mom and I do my grandmother's grocery shopping for her and because she's forgetful about some things, we use that to our advantage like swapping out the oleo for real butter, things like that. But she's a stubborn 90 year old French woman and won't give up her Ponds and other creams, this I know. She's used that stuff since forever and doesn't forget it. I've even bought her virgin coconut oil to use and though she loves the smell, she never remembers to use it. It's like if isn't a staple of hers from the 1950s, it's foreign to her and won't get used. Meanwhile, I think to myself, the woman is 90 so she's clearly doing something right so who am I to get in the way of the positive groove she's got going. LOL

But yes, our bodies are quite amazing, that's for sure! I'll talk to my grandmother and my mom about some of the other therapies you mentioned. Thank you! :)

 

[tara]

You might look into Wobenzym N, 3 pills twice a day on an empty stomach, it's one thing you could add to your regimen. :2cents

Hi TBP,
I guess this is something you've tried to good effect? I've ever heard of it before. Do you understand how it works? Thanks for the suggestion.

 

[thebigpeatowski]

You might look into Wobenzym N, 3 pills twice a day on an empty stomach, it's one thing you could add to your regimen. :2cents

Hi TBP,
I guess this is something you've tried to good effect? I've ever heard of it before. Do you understand how it works? Thanks for the suggestion.

Yes, I've used it and felt it worked very well for joint pain specifically. It's an enzyme product, created and manufactured in Germany in the 1960's. I think it has a very good track record with lots of human studies.

 

[tara]

Hi Jennifer,
There was a post in the last week or too with a reference to to some relationahip beteen TSH and cholesterol. Sorry I didn't grab it and link you to it when i saw it. But reading about your very low TSH and cholesterol, I wonder if it's connected directly.

This is it, from haidut:
viewtopic.php?f=75&t=6099